WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recruiters offered a U.S. resident $40,000 to kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington, D.C. A former Russian colonel offered a U.S. citizen approximately $25,000 to kill an individual in Lithuania. Recruiters also promised a U.S. resident between $1,000 and $1,500 for pre-operational surveillance of a target.

"These defendants allegedly operated as part of a global assassination network that reached into the United States, attempting to recruit U.S. citizens and foreigners to carry out killings at the behest of the Kremlin," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "Actions like these represent a gross violation of our sovereignty and a threat to our national security."

FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the broader implications of the alleged conspiracy. "The charges announced reveal an alleged plot by the Russian intelligence services to murder a dissident on U.S. soil for daring to speak out against the Russian government," Patel said. "As alleged in the indictment, this plot exposes the lengths to which our adversaries will go to silence its critics and illustrates the grave threat transnational repression poses to the lives and freedoms of all who challenge authoritarian regimes." "The FBI is committed to defending the free speech of everyone within our homeland and will not tolerate any attempts by foreign governments to violate our laws and threaten our freedoms," Kash Patel said.

Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that stopping such violence is a primary duty. "It is our job to stop America’s adversaries from unleashing violence and terror on American soil," Blanche said. "And that’s precisely what we are doing thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department prosecutors."

Eisenberg outlined the department's stance on foreign intelligence operations. "We will stamp out any foreign intelligence services’ attempt to operate freely in our great Nation, and we will not rest until they and their enablers suffer the most severe consequences that federal law can levy," he said. The defendants remain at large. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to finance terrorism and up to 10 years in prison for murder for hire.

Why It Matters

The unsealing of these charges shows the scope of alleged transnational repression operations targeting critics of authoritarian regimes on U.S. soil. The indictment connects the current charges to a pattern of coordinated activities, including alleged attacks in Prague in June 2024 and in Lithuania in September 2024. The Justice Department identified the plot as a direct threat to national security and sovereignty.

Timeline

The network allegedly coordinated attacks in Lithuania in September 2024. On September 15, 2026, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said, "We will stamp out any foreign intelligence services’ attempt to operate freely in our great Nation, and we will not rest until they and their enablers suffer the most severe consequences that federal law can levy." Also on September 15, 2026, U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said, "As alleged, the defendants, working for the intelligence services of Russia, conspired to cause destruction and mayhem around the world, including right here in the United States." McDonald further stated on that date, "The Russian-led network charged in today’s indictment is brazen, aggressive, and far-reaching, and the charges levied against the defendants should send a clear message: no matter where you are, and no matter who you work for, we will investigate and prosecute you for your crimes. Eisenberg also said on September 15, 2026, These defendants allegedly operated as part of a global assassination network that reached into the United States, attempting to recruit U.S. citizens and foreigners to carry out killings at the behest of the Kremlin." "We will not tolerate efforts to finance terrorist activities and engage in acts of violence — particularly when these activities are commissioned by state actors and touch American soil," Jamie McDonald said.

What's New

The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed charges on September 15, 2026, against five individuals linked to Russian intelligence services for allegedly conspiring to finance terrorism and carry out murder-for-hire operations on U.S. soil, including a $40,000 plot to kill a Russian dissident in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department is a United States federal executive department.

How Sources Differ

Regarding russian intelligence services, James C. Barnacle Jr. said, "As alleged in this indictment, members of the Russian Intelligence Services and their affiliates conspired to intimidate, threaten, or murder people on U.S. soil and around the world," while justice.gov stated the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed charges on September 15, 2026, against five individuals linked to Russian intelligence services for allegedly conspiring to finance terrorism and carry out murder-for-hire operations on U.S. soil. Regarding to Russian, justice.gov stated the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed charges on September 15, 2026, against five individuals linked to Russian intelligence services for allegedly conspiring to finance terrorism and carry out murder-for-hire operations on U.S. soil, while the United States Department of Justice Indictment stated recruiters offered a U.S. resident $40,000 to kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington, D.C. "The FBI disrupted this operation through relentless work and rock-solid partnership," James C. Barnacle Jr. said.